If cooler weather means the more time doing cozy activities in the kitchen, it also heralds our annual nemesis: chapped hands. We use our hands constantly while we cook and wash them just as often. Add on a few rounds of dish washing and our hands are doomed to months of stinging dryness. What can we do?

Regular lotion doesn't really do the trick. Not only do we always seem to be washing our hands again two minutes after putting it on, but it doesn't really take care of the deep, persistent dryness that sets in after a few weeks of cold weather.

We've found that our best strategy has been to invest in a really good, heavy-duty lotion at the beginning of the season and begin applying it a night before bed. As needed, we also put it on a little while before we start cooking (so it has time to sink in before we hit the kitchen) and then again after we're done cooking for the day.

Here are a few lotions we've found particularly helpful:

1. Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream - This is our go-to hand lotion during the day. It's thick and feels a little greasy going on, but it quickly sinks into our skin and feels great. We also don't feel like we need to re-apply it nearly as much as other lotions. And it's true: "Just a dab" is all you need! (Pack of 4 2-ounce tubes from Amazon, $22.37 - you can also find this as just about any drug store)

2. Lush's Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter - We discovered this product from Lush last winter and fell in love. Rub in as much of this lemon-scented lotion as your cuticles, knuckles, and fingers will take before you go to bed at night and in the morning your poor hands are soft and happy. It's pricey, but this little tub lasts for months. (1.5-ounce container from Lush, $13.25)

3. Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream - A good alternative if you don't have a Lush store in your area, plus it comes in a handy pocket-sized tin. (1.6 ounce tin from Amazon, $4.95 - also found at most drug stores)

It would be really great to find some kind of hand scrub or soap that cleans and keeps us moisturized that we could use in place of our normal kitchen soap. We saw this tutorial for a DIY Hand Scrub on Craftzine last spring and are curious to give it a try:

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Emma is the recipe editor for The Kitchn and a graduate of the Cambridge School for Culinary Arts. She is the author of True Brews and Brew Better Beer (Spring 2015). Check out her personal blog for more cooking stories.